Lamborghini’s 60th Anniversary at the Arizona Concours d’elegance
To celebrate the Lamborghini’s historic 60th Anniversary, the Arizona Concours d’elegance will showcase ten cars, including an original 350 GT coupe, the automaker’s revolutionary mid-engine supercars, the groundbreaking 1967 Lamborghini Miura, and a 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th anniversary edition, as well as more recent examples of hyper-performance Lambos.
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. was created through the vision, persistence, and even vengefulness of Italian industrialist Ferruccio Lamborghini. Located in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, the company originally producedfarm machinery. As the story goes, Ferrucio complained to Enzo Ferrari about the build quality of the clutches on his new Ferrari cars.
Rumors have it that the imperious Enzo might have dismissed him, saying, “You build the tractors, and I’ll build the sports cars.” Stung by the rebuke, Lamborghini challenged Ferrari by building better sports cars. His gambit was a rousing success, and 60 years later, Lamborghini remains a top choice of desirable performance-car brands.
Sixty years of history on display
Significant Lamborghinis will be on display at the Arizona Concours. These include:
1965 Lamborghini 350 GT
The 350 GT was Lamborghini’s first production car to challenge Ferrari. A grand tourer manufactured between 1964 and 1966, the shapely coupe was equipped with a 3.5-liter V12 engine and a body by Carrozzeria Touring.
The 350 GT debuted in March 1964 at the Geneva Motor Show; production began the following May. The car on display was ordered at the Geneva show and delivered in 1965 to Madrid, where it spent the next 40 years with its original owner.
It appears in superb condition. The blue coupe features its original factory interior and license plate from Spain.
1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition
Marcello Gandini followed up on the remarkable Miura design with the even more remarkable Countach, built in 1974 and alternately seen as innovative, forward-looking, sexy, daring, or outrageous, depending on your outlook.
Nothing was on the road like the wedge-shaped Countach, with its sharply angular contours and extensions. Its bold presence inspired longing in a generation of gearheads; Countach would become the poster car of the ’70s and ’80s, appearing on millions of young enthusiasts’ bedroom walls.
The 25th Anniversary Countach, Lamborghini, had the styling of the swoopy coupe refined by Horacio Pagani, who changed the ducting to improve the flow of cooling air through the radiators and elsewhere, which were subtle and essential revisions.
From inception, the engineering for Countach was led by Lamborghini’s Paolo Stanzani. For improved balance, the Countach’s V12 engine was rear-mounted longitudinally (the Miura’s V12 was transverse).
The V12 was expanded and modified over the years. The 25th Anniversary Countach is powered by a 5.2-liter, 4-valve engine rated at 449 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.
This Countach is in its original Rosso (red) paint color, complemented with the rare option of a white interior. With its scissor doors and overall wild appearance, the Countach should be a constant attention grabber on the show field.
1967 Lamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was produced by the Italian automaker between 1966 and 1973. The car was the first supercar designed with a rear mid-engined two-seat layout. This layout has since become the standard for high-performance sports and supercars. When released, it was the fastest production road car.
The Miura was originally conceived by Lamborghini’s engineering team, which designed the car in its spare time, reportedly against the wishes of the company founder who preferred powerful, yet sedate grand touring (GT) cars over the race car-derived machines produced by local rival Ferrari.
Tickets are on sale now
The Arizona Concours d’elegance will be held January 21, 2024, at the Scottsdale Civic Plaza.
Tickets for the Arizona Concours d’elegance are available online at ArizonaConcours.org and ScottsdaleArts.org or the box office in the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
